Yet more smartphone photo snappers managed to resist the Instagram hype entirely, sticking to alternative photo apps that shoot, filter and share just as well as Instagram, if not better.

Instagram has been popular precisely because it is a quiet little neck of the internet, a "walled garden" app, where the sole purpose is to shoot and share photos. There's no sharing of your intimate music-listening habits, no forcing advertisements down your throat and no reminding you of "friends waiting".

Will Facebook's buy out of Instagram change your opinion of the app?

The concern amongst Instagram fans is that this simple, single-minded purpose could be lost in the huge hive of add-ons and apps that is Facebook.

For many photography lovers, the filters have always been a little naff and predictable. There are plenty of apps out there that allow you to do much more than add a prescirptive filter to your shots.

Here are a handful of great Instagram alternatives that do as good a job, if not better, than Instagram.

Click through the gallery below to see eight great Instagram alternatives.

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Shoot, play with and share beautiful photos on the app that won Best Android Photo Sharing App at the 2011 Best App Ever Awards.
With 14 different filters and 15 photo borders this is a fun and playful alternative to Instagram that rewards you for taking photos.

The ideal photo-sharing social network for, well, hipsters on Android or iPhone iOS. Hipster has ll the filters an Instagram fan could want, plus, captions to add to your "Postcards" before you share them via Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or Tumblr.

Pixlr calls itself "the most popular online photo editor in the world", and with an Android and iOS app, and a plethora of filters, lighting effects, and borders it's easy to see why. This app is missing a social network, so if sharing's your thing, and these days, it's almost impossible not to over share, then you'll have to make do with posting to Facebook on this one.

If you like the new Timeline view on Facebook, and the new iPhoto app for the new iPad, you'll be into the layout of Android-only Lightbox.
Using any camera app to take your shot, then apply filters and share via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr or Foursquare. Upload them to Lightbox's online community, or block all sharing with great privacy settings.

Rated as "truly awesome" on the app store, this app is heavy on the effects. You can do much more than just apply a simple filter, which Instagram limits you to. It has no social network behind it, but if you're just serious about great photos, this will suit.

An excellent photo app with great effects, this will have you questioning whether you need Photoshop. There's no social network behind this app, but if that's not what you're after, then this does wondrous things to your photos.

Hipstamatic was the original vintage filter photo app, and gives you access to "lens swaps", flash stops and film types, as opposed to Instagram's simple filters.
Hipstamatic's add-ons cost you ££ via in-app purchase, which may put some off, but it's a lot of fun and has a great community around it who can all gawp and gasp at your great photos.

PicPlz is a straight-up, easy to use alternative to Instragram that Android users have been onto for a while now, since Instragram was so late to the Android game. Now also on iPhone, it has the familiar filters and some frames that are quickly applied to your shot.
The app has features that Instagram misses - allowing you to turn your shot into a meme, draw on it, crop or rotate. Shame there's no Tilt Shift.